Venandi: Vampires
__NOEDITSECTION__ __TOC__ Introduction to Vampires The most specialised of the Venandi are the Vampires, the result of Human DNA and Chiropteran (or Bat) DNA. All Vampires are pale-skinned though not all are incapable of handling sunlight (more on this in the weakness), but otherwise retain a human appearance. Vampires can eat normal food, but gain most of their sustenance through consuming blood. However, unlike the mythical creature, Vampires are not undead and do not turn other people into Vampires through their bite; like every other Venandi, Vampires reproduce sexually. Vampires are not immortal, despite the stories that surround them, but they are a relatively long-lived race. They age as a Human until they are approximately 15 after which point they start to age much slower. A Vampire doesn't reach the equivalent of Middle Age until he or she is well into their 70s. Vampires often reside in cities, not liking the idea of having to "rough it". Most Vampires could be described as pretentious, proud, and aristocratic though most do not hold titles (and many don't even have money, though they may seek it out). Vampires live in Covens, headed by a leader and second-in-command. Unlike with Lycanthropes, there is no gender bias among Vampire leadership. Vampires are capable of reproducing. Read about Reproduction in detail. Species Breakdown There are three different species of Vampire all characterised by different physical features (species may have different options in their powers). The species of Vampire consist of the following. Hadean Vampires Possessing the DNA of Flying Foxes, the Hadean Vampires are, perhaps, a little strange in comparison to their Vampire cousins. Sometimes referred to as Liches by other Vampires (and those with a working knowledge of Vampire culture), the Hadean Vampires have inspired a lot of the stories that suggest Vampires are undead. Hadean Vampires are the most pale of all Vampires, often looking corpse-like, and many are happy to play on this stereotype, some going so far as to sleep in a coffin. The most famous Hadean Vampire, William Pratt, enjoyed the stereotypes so much he took to sleeping in a crypt in the local graveyard for the better part of six years. Hadean Vampires tend to be relatively solitary, not caring if they are loved or feared, and they prefer the dead to the living. It's not uncommon to find Hadean Vampires working in mortuaries or cemeteries, only further perpetuating the myths about them. Lokian Vampires Lokian Vampires are, more than anything else, the legend behind the monster. While their Hybrid Form (if they possess that power) shows the true monster within, it is easily given away when a Lokian Vampire feeds. Their whole face transforms into a monstrous version of itself when feeding and they look as far from Human as they can during that time. Lokian Vampires are the inspiration behind Bram Stoker's Dracula and Angelus from the Buffy series. Lokian Vampires possess the DNA of Vampire Bats (perhaps a little on the nose given what they are) and they are incredibly proud creatures. Unlike the Vesuvian Vampires, they prefer to be feared or, at the very least, prefer to inspire fear in those that they are feeding upon. Lokian Vampires can be quite apathetic towards humanity, however, not caring what Humans think as long as they get the food they need. Vesuvian Vampires Vesuvian Vampires possess the DNA of Fruit Bats and, though they will deny it until their dying day, the other Vampires often consider them to be a little weaker as a result. This is strictly a myth, however, as there is no difference between the strength of a Vesuvian Vampire and any other Vampire of equal measure. What is true about the Vesuvian Vampires, however, is that they are the ones who are responsible for the myth that Vampires are sexy, suave, and passionate lovers. Vesuvian Vampires love living lives of luxury and, more importantly, they love love. They are partiers, charmers, and sweet talkers. They prefer people to worship them rather than fear them, and they like it when people willingly give in to them rather than having to be coerced (though that can be fun too). Stories like those written by Anne Rice were inspired by interactions with Vesuvian Vampires. Vampire Powers All Vampires possess the enhancements and primary power listed below. In addition, they may take three additional powers from the list below (or a combination of the powers below and those from the Universal Power Pool if they are a variant) in any combination provided that they meet the requirements. Powers marked as suggested are what we recommend you take for this race. Vampire Enhancements Vampires are about twice as strong and twice as fast as a human, but not significantly more durable. In addition, they can see in darkness, even complete darkness, as if it was a bright sunny day (Vampires without the Sunlight weakness can only see in black-and-white, not colour). A Vampire also can accelerate the clotting process, meaning that their wounds bleed much less than normal (though their healing is otherwise no better than human) and ensuring that they will almost never die of blood loss. Blood Drinking (Primary) Vampires possess two retractable fangs, replacing their upper canines. These fangs are sharp enough (and their bite is strong enough) to puncture the skin of any humanoid and even pierce through light armour. If a Vampire bites a person in a region where a lot of blood flows, they can begin to siphon the victim's blood out of their body at an alarming rate. A Vampire can completely drain a person of blood in under a minute, and it requires only about thirty seconds for them to drain a fatal amount of blood out of the victim's body. The Vampire's fangs also release a toxin, causing a state of euphoria in their victims, to prevent them from fighting the vampire off until they are too weak to do so. Upgrade: Blood Healing A Vampire with this ability who is injured heals rapidly by feeding. Small wounds close immediately when blood crosses the Vampire's lips, and virtually any injury, including loss of limb, can be regenerated from if the vampire has a large enough supply of blood to draw on. It takes about one human's worth of blood to regrow a limb, and about half a human to heal any injury except for a gaping wound, which can take up to a full person. The healing is fastest while the Vampire is feeding, but will continue for up to twelve hours afterwards. Alter Form (Suggested) A Vampire with this ability can change their shape in two ways. First, they can take the form of a winged mammal (Fruit bat for Vesuvian, Flying fox for Hadean, and Vampire bat for Lokian). Second, they can dissolve into a cloud of mist. While transformed, they lose all access to their other powers, and so use these abilities only for travel. The transformation process takes several seconds (and thus cannot be done in response to an attack), and they cannot transform directly from animal to mist. The mist cannot be harmed, but when the Vampire returns to human form, they retain any injury they had before transforming into the mist in the first place. Upgrade: Ultimate Form A Vampire with this ability is a more powerful shapechanger. * Lokian Vampires gain the ability to shift into a monstrous bat-like creature. While transformed, their skin becomes tough and leathery and their features twist into something between a bat and a dragon. Powerful wings hang from their arms, allowing them to fly, and long claws grow from their fingers. While transformed, a Lokian Vampire cannot use its Alter Form power, but retains access to everything else. In addition, their strength and speed increases to double what they had been previously. The Vampire has a bloodlust while in this form, and must feed every hour or revert to normal. Once the transformation has ended, they must feed before it can be done again. * Hadean Vampires become much harder to kill. If they are in their human form, conscious, and suffer an injury that would be fatal, they can revert to mist form as a reaction. While in mist form, they do not die, and so must seek out someone to heal them the moment they return to human form, as they will have only seconds to live. * Vesuvian Vampires can become human temporarily. Their form does not change at all (though their skin may darken a little) but they lose complete access to all of their powers (including their Enhancements). However, while human, a Vampire does not possess any of its flaws. The only catch is that the Vampire has no control over reverting back; the transformation lasts until the next sunrise or sunset (whichever comes first) and cannot be prematurely ended. Enthrall (Suggested) A Vampire with this ability adds a hypnotic quality to their bite. Anyone fed on by the Vampire becomes charmed by them for the next hour, willing to obey their every command as if in a trance. Unless the Vampire wishes it, the victim has no memory of what they did while in the trance once it is over. The only thing that can snap a person out of the trance early is intense physical pain. A Vesuvian vampire cannot command an enthralled person to do anything, but instead gains verbal control of their brain, able to tell them something and have them believe it completely. This influence can even be psychosomatic (the Vampire can tell the person they are in pain and they will then be in pain). Psychosomatic commands end after the trance is over, but other effects (such as telling them that they did something foolish, or that the moon is in fact made of cheese) may linger for days afterwards unless the subject is confronted with evidence otherwise. Levitation (Suggested) Vampires cannot fly while in human form, but they can approximate it well enough. A vampire can, at will, tether themselves to a solid surface (such as the ground or a wall) and then float up to half a metre away from that surface. This allows them to glide slightly above the ground or scale a wall without actually touching it. It even works upside-down, allowing Vampires to hover just below ceilings. This ability works on any solid surface, even slippery ones, but not malleable things like sand or water. Dark Influence It is in a Vampire's nature to control its surroundings, though what exactly they can control depends on the type of Vampire. * Vesuvian Vampires get Wishmaster; influence over the desires and fears of people around them. If they speak directly to a person, they can compel that person to talk honestly (in elaborate detail) about something they desire or fear. This can either be generic ("What do you want most right now?") or specific ("Why were you afraid earlier today?"). In addition, the Vampire can amplify an emotion that a person feels through skin contact (either negating it entirely or increasing it to overwhelming intensity). However, since the Vampire has no way to read emotions, they must make a guess when using the power. If their target is not feeling that emotion, the power does nothing. * Lokian Vampires get Umbrakinesis; shadows become their ally. If a room contains at least some shadow, they can extend that shadow to blanket the room until only dim light remains. In addition, when standing in shadow, they can choose to become invisible to sight, smell, and hearing (but not touch), and they can teleport to any other shadow they can see if it is large enough to hide them completely and it is within a hundred metres of their current position. * Hadean Vampires get Raise Dead; the power to animate up to six corpses at a time as zombies. The zombies cannot speak and have no will, but will obey simple directives given by the Vampire (like "kill anyone who comes here except me"). A zombie possesses the physical strength of the creature it was in life, but not the speed, intelligence, or powers. Death Call Vampires exude an aura of death wherever they walk. Natural life wilts and dies if it spends too long in the presence of a Vampire, and those who are sick or injured become much more likely to die or develop complications. Even powers which boost healing are less effective when a Vampire is nearby. This ability does not affect other Vampires, it can be suppressed at will (though it will otherwise function even when they are unconscious). The aura of a Lokian Vampire behaves differently from the other two. Their aura causes nocturnal creatures to follow them. The creatures obey the Vampire's commands to the best of their ability but depart after an hour of being enthralled. Upgrade: Death Master A Vampire with this power possesses influence over the dead. If they are standing on a spot where they know a person died or they are in the presence of a corpse, they can summon the spirit of the dead. The spirit remains for only a few moments, but will answer any questions the Vampire asks to the best of its memory. The longer a person has been dead, the worse their memory, and once they have been called once, they can never be called again, even by a different Vampire. Hadean Vampires do not have the latter restriction (i.e. they can call spirits repeatedly) but they require a corpse to talk to a spirit at all. Trace Ability A Vampire with this ability can copy the abilities of other people. By touching another person, and knowing in advance what power they want to copy, the Vampire gains the ability to use that power. They do not have inherent control over the power, and must learn how to use it. The power remains copied until the Vampire uses this ability again to copy a new power. This power does not function on Arukan and cannot be used to copy Primary powers of other Venandi. Upgraded powers can be copied, but only if the upgrade makes sense on its own without the base power (e.g. Lightning Strike could be copied, but Telekinetic Force could not). Vampire Weaknesses All Vampires must possess two of the following weaknesses (three if they are a variant Vampire). You may choose any combination of two that you wish but their weaknesses must come from this list. Dead Man's Blood If a Vampire feeds upon a dying body whose death was not initiated by the Vampire (that is, they were mortally wounded or dying before the feeding started), then if the feeding results in the death of the body, the Vampire also dies. In addition, if blood drawn from a corpse is injected into a Vampire, the Vampire becomes paralyzed for a few minutes, and feels ill for several hours afterwards. Herbology Vampires have an excellent sense of smell, and there are a few smells that they find universally repugnant. None of these damage a Vampire to be around, but no Vampire will willingly stay within fifteen metres of any of them because of the stench. All offending items are herbs and the list includes garlic, elderberry, yarrow, and rue. In addition, Vampires with this flaw cannot enter private dwellings unless invited in by someone who lives there. Sunlight Vampires are fiercely allergic to sunlight. Any exposure to ultraviolet radiation burns their skin, and staying in the sun for more than a few seconds will cause them to catch fire. Burns, especially ones created by sunlight, heal much more slowly than other wounds, even with Blood Healing.